They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). He is the ground, always, of unity. Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. This consumerism that we face today in the end doesnt seem all that much different from the way the Christian faith was treated like just another philosophy back in the days of Paul. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. All that mattered to Paul was Jesus! Webdivided. Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. Lewis.". We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. What should our evaluation of a ministry look like I wonder if its not by numbers? One eye is purple and swollen! Now, it cannot. Some people will pick other matters of doctrine to affirm. In verses 10-17 of Chapter 1, Paul establishes the fact that there are divisions and begins to deal with them. This unintentional mindset causes people to treat the Bible and its words like it is a product that can wear out, and ignored like an infomercial. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. They are his family in Christ. But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. I will jump on the bandwagon here and say that division is definitely an issue today. He recognizes that we share a common life if we have come to Christ; we are brothers and sisters because we have his life in us. These preachers draw in masses of people every week who are eager to hear them speak. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. But if it is to escape pressures and difficulties and problems in the congregation, then it is absolutely wrong and the worst thing he could do, because it sets before the watching world a false testimony concerning the church of Jesus Christ. They became symbols of prestige and standing that became divisive factors among the men. On a large jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces or more, its almost impossible to put it together upside down! Every Navigator had to have a Scofield Reference Bible; that was the only "Authorized Version." Whatever you say, I believe." What happens when you get a tear in a piece of clothing and you keep washing and wearing that piece of clothing with the tear in it? The ground, of course, is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. I think the letter to the Philippians helps us here, because in that passage I just quoted from, Paul goes on to say, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Maybe if they are getting rid of core doctrine it is a justifiable anger but I can definitely see how the church is very much the same as 2000 years ago. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. Paul goes right on, in Verse12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). (1Corinthians 1:13 RSV). The Corinthian Church. The families have been seated. The same viewpoints are still dividing people. Going off of what Cody is saying, in todays church everything needs to be just right. Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. WebAnd you know, that gives me some idea of how important this is to God, because from 1:10 to the ninth verse of the sixteenth Chapter, he just talks about the errors in the church. WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. There is not a teacher among us today, or at any other time, who is able to open the mind and open the eyes of the heart and reveal to us the glory and majesty of God, not one. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. A. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" I agree with Greg, I see a lot of times where Pastors begin to care more about the number of the congregation rather on the connectedness of it. He started this church. And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! I Corinthians 12:12,13 says, For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. God is all about people, not money, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to take over the current move of God, put it in a box, stick a label on it, and own it they will be swept away. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. This also brings up another Pagan influence which is naming the days of the week after the planets. How important was unity to the apostle Paul, and to the Holy Spirit who moved Him to write this letter to the Church in Corinth? Now, in one verse he introduces to us the cure for these divisions (Verse17): For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom [literally, "wisdom of words"], lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. We are all equally undeserving of salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ. And I say that because some people focus on PREACHER instead of THE SAVIOR. (I suppose that if Dio were commenting on the modern world, he would describe the wretched bloggers shouting abuse at the temple of WordPress!). He's a great preacher, a warm, capable, eloquent man, who can make the Old Testament come alive!". There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. I do not think things have improved much since the first century. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. The anxiety of the childs mother continued to grow, for she knew that her boy was somewhere out in the darkness where wild animals were constantly on the prowl. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. Many of us are familiar with this common phenomenon in human psychology of thinking that some symbolic thing that is of use to us is so important that we finally make it a badge of the group to which we belong. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. That is why the apostle appeals to it. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. So he says, "I didn't baptize many of you. But when doctrinal beliefs keep churches from working together to further the gospel. He begins the process of developing them into leaders who will also preach the gospel and found more churches. He addresses them as brethren. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. Now, almost every group does this. If you limit yourself to one speaker or one teacher and feed only on him, you are getting a distorted view of Jesus Christ; you are chopping Christ up, dividing him and taking one little portion as one man reports it and ignoring the rest, thus your view of Christ is deficient and unable to satisfy you as it was intended to do. The church was divided into factions, and one group was urging him to take half the congregation and go to another part of the city and start a new church. They were also not afraid to be mentioned in Pauls letter to the church.
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